🧩 5 Patterns Every Leader Should Recognize
1️⃣ Real-World Use Case
A retail operations team notices that every time they launch a new efficiency initiative, results look good at first but soon plateau or even reverse. Leaders keep investing in “quick fixes” (new tools, training sprints) but deeper challenges around incentives, processes, and culture persist. They need a way to see if these recurring problems fit a known system archetype—so they can intervene at the structural level instead of chasing symptoms.
📚 Framework in Focus
Recurring problems often follow predictable patterns called System Archetypes:
Fixes that Fail → A quick fix works briefly but makes things worse.
Shifting the Burden → Short-term relief replaces solving the root cause.
Limits to Growth → Progress stalls when hidden constraints emerge.
Success to the Successful → Winners attract more resources, widening the gap.
Tragedy of the Commons → Shared resources get depleted by overuse.
Naming the archetype helps you see the loop behind the symptoms and target smarter interventions.
2️⃣ Powerful Prompt
Role:
You are a systems strategist helping leaders diagnose a recurring organizational challenge.
Context:
Analyze this organizational challenge: [Insert challenge].
Supporting details:
Metrics/trends: [Insert data]
Past fixes tried: [Insert initiatives]
Constraints: [Insert limits]
Desired outcomes: [Insert goals]
Critical Guardrails:
- Only use the data provided above.
- Do not assume or invent new facts.
- If information is missing, mark it as “insufficient data” and suggest clarifying questions.
- Every insight must tie back to the input and cite which field it came from.
Task:
1. Compare the challenge against these five archetypes:
- Fixes that Fail
- Shifting the Burden
- Limits to Growth
- Success to the Successful
- Tragedy of the Commons
2. Identify which archetype(s) best fit.
3. Show your reasoning step by step — explain why the symptoms match the archetype.
4. Map how previous fixes may have reinforced the loop.
5. Recommend one systemic intervention that could break the pattern.
Output:
- Archetype identified (with definition)
- Step-by-step reasoning (bullet points)
- Table: Symptom | Archetype Pattern | Structural Cause | Recommended Intervention | Evidence Source
- Short executive takeaway in plain English
(Copy-paste into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini; swap the role & context to fit any domain.)
3️⃣ Why It Works (mental-model stack)
System Archetypes (Senge): Recognizes recurring feedback loops in organizations.
Second-Order Thinking: Surfaces unintended consequences of “solutions.”
Constraint Identification: Clarifies where hidden bottlenecks cap growth.
Structured Inquiry: Guardrails force clarity, prevent AI from inventing facts, and push leaders to ask sharper diagnostic questions.
This stack turns the AI into a pattern-matching partner, not a surface-level problem-solver.
4️⃣ How to Tweak It for Your Org
Tech Startups: Spot why scaling slows (often Limits to Growth or Success to the Successful).
Healthcare Systems: Diagnose recurring burnout cycles (Shifting the Burden).
Public Sector: Identify overuse of shared services or funding pools (Tragedy of the Commons).
Large Corporates: Use across transformation portfolios to map where “fixes that fail” keep recurring.
5️⃣ How to Use This in Your Next Session
• When to apply it:
– Strategic reviews, post-mortems, or recurring project stalls
– Transformation programs that keep losing momentum
– Resource allocation discussions where cycles repeat
• What inputs you need:
– Data trends (KPIs, adoption rates, financials)
– History of fixes/initiatives attempted
– Known limits (budget, regulation, culture, tech)
– Clear goals (what “success” would look like)
• Step-by-step action flow:
– Gather challenge inputs from key stakeholders (30–45 mins)
– Run the AI prompt with full inputs (10 mins)
– Review AI’s archetype diagnosis with the team (20 mins)
– Identify 1–2 systemic interventions worth testing (30 mins)
• Estimated time:
– ~2 hours for a compact, insight-rich session
✨ With this prompt, leaders move from chasing symptoms to recognizing structural loops. Once you see the archetype, you can break it — not just patch it.
Think better, frame smarter, decide sharper. – Clarity Prompts team
